NewScientist (14 January 2017) reports on the use of RNA interference to control pests, improve yields, even change the colors of your favorite rose. But how is the RNA delivered to the pests and plants?
Not actually produced by this process.
Source: WikipediaIn experiments with tobacco plants, [University of Queensland team member Neena Mitter’s] group has shown that its spray’s protective effect can last at least 20 days. This was achieved by combining the RNA with clay nanoparticles developed by Mitter’s colleague Gordon Xu.
The positively charged clay nanoparticles, made of stacked sheets of common minerals such as magnesium chloride, bind to the negatively charged RNA. Over time, the clay particles react with carbon dioxide and break down, slowly releasing the RNA (Nature Plants, doi.org/bwxq).
Plant viruses are a huge problem for farmers around the world and no existing treatments target them directly. Farmers must either grow resistant crop varieties, if they exist, or try to kill the organisms that spread plant viruses, such as aphids. So if the antiviral spray works well in field tests on crops there could be huge demand. “We do believe it will be commercially viable,” Mitter says.
An interesting development. As it’s RNA, there should be zero worry about horizontal DNA transfer; the clay particles should be mostly harmless, although I wonder how many applications are possible before the buildup of clay in the soil leads to significant degradation of the soil – or if it just washes away.
